Inflatable head-covering hood



March 24, 1953 w. M. MITCHELL 2,632,176

INFLATABLE HEAD COVERING HOOD Filed May 16, 1949 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 24, 1953 @NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims. l

This invention relates in general to wearing apparel.

In particular the invention is directed to, and it is an object to provide, an improved hood for sheltering the wearers head from wind, rain, or other weather conditions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flexible hood which is inflatable to maintain the hood erect and fully expanded whereby to hold it comfortably spaced about the head when said hood is in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hood, as in the preceding paragraph, which includes a plurality of inflatable, flexible, pneumatic tubes secured within the hood in a predetermined pattern; the tubes being of rubber or the like, and standing erect-when inflated-to thus support the hood erect and fully expanded as desired.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a hood, as above, wherein the inflatable pneumatic tubes are all connected in communication to permit of their inflation from a single filling stem.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a hood which is designed for ease and economy of manufacture.

A further object of the invention is to provide a practical and convenient-to-use hood, and one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the hood erected and in use.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the flexible, pneumatic tube assembly.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional elevation showing the communication of the tubes at one point in the assembly thereof.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view, partly broken away of a modification of the hood.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, and at present particularly to Figs. l3 inclusive, the numeral 5 indicates a head-covering hood of generally conventional configuration, being closed top, back, I

and sides, and open at the front.

The hood i is formed of flexible material, and about its lower edge includes an inturned flap 2 adapted to button, as at 3, in detachable connection with the collar Q of a raincoat 5, or the like.

A flexible, pneumatic tube assembly, indicated at 6, is secured in connection with the hood I within the latter; such tube assembly comprising the following:

The tubes of assembly 6 are of relatively smalldiameter, flexible material, such as rubber, and when deflated said tubes do not add any material rigidity to the hood. The assembly 6 comprises a plurality of spaced, substantially arch-shaped tubes '7 which are secured in the hood I in spanning relation from side to side thereof; the foremost arch-shaped tube 1 bordering the forward edge of the hood.

Another tube 8 is secured in the hood I cen- F trally of its sides, and spans from the rear of said hood to the front thereof; the tube 8 being in communication with both of the tubes 1 at the point of engagement therewith.

The tubes I and t are secured (as by cementing) in connection with the material of the hood I for substantially the full length of said tubes, and the latter terminate in closed ends adjacent the lower edge of said hood.

At one lower end of the foremost tube 1, it is fitted with a laterally outwardly projecting filling neck 9, by means of such the pneumatic tube assembly 6 is inflated by mouth or from a small container (not shown) of compressed air.

When the pneumatic tube assembly 6 is inflated, the escape of the air from the filling neck 9 is prevented by suitable means, such as a small hand controlled valve I0 interposed therein.

Upon inflation of the pneumatic tube assembly 6 the tubes 7 and 8 stand erect, erecting and expanding the hood I in the manner shown in Fig. 1. As so erected and expanded the hood I covers the head of the wearer without substantial engagement therewith; this assuring of comfort and holding the hood in a position where it does not disturb the hair of the wearer. Additionally, the head may be moved without annoyance by the hood.

When the hood is not in use the valve H) is opened, permitting the pneumatic tube assembly 6 to deflate, whereupon the hood I collapses and can be folded back to an out-of-the-way position; the small-diameter and flexibility of the tubes 7 and ii permitting of this operation without any substantial restriction.

In Fig. 4 there is illustrated a modification of the invention. Here the hood H is of substantially the same configuration as the hood I. However, the pneumatic tube assembly is omitted and the hood is made up of a flexible, air-tight outer wall I, and. a flexible air-tight inner wall I3. The walls i2 and I3 are connected together,

at adjacent edges, in air-tight relation, whereby said walls form an inflatable air chamber l4 therebetween.

A valved filling neck I5 is mounted on the hood and leads into the air chamber for the purpose of inflating the hood.

Upon introduction of a quantity of air into the chamber M to inflate the hood, the hood is erected and expanded, whereby to maintain it in the desired position of use.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such an article of wearing apparel as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the article, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

1. A head covering comprising a relatively large head-enveloping hood open at the front and of flexible material, normally deflated collapsible pneumatic means incorporated in the hood and efiective when inflated to hold the hood in a relatively rigid head-protective position and out of contact with the head of the wearer, and a filling neck connected to said pneumatic means and projecting outwardly from said means to a point exteriorly of the hood for manipulation.

2. A head covering as in claim 1, in which said pneumatic means includes a collapsible air retaining tube extending about the periphery of the front opening of the hood.

3. A head covering comprising a relatively large head-enveloping hood open at the front and or flexible material, an arrangement of intercommunicating normally deflated collapsible 0 Number 4 pneumatic tubes mounted within and secured to the hood and effective when inflated to hold the hood in a relatively rigid head-protective position and out of contact with the head of the wearer, and a filling neck projecting from one of the tubes outwardly of the hood.

4. A head covering as in claim 3, in which said tube arrangement comprises a tube extending about the front opening of the hood, another tube extending about the hood from side to side thereof and spaced back from the first named tube, and a third tube extending back from the first tube at the top past and intersecting said other tube and then extending down the back of the hood.

5. An article of wearing apparel comprising a hood-shaped member having a face opening and of flexible material, said member being, large enough to be spaced from the head of the wearer and adapted to be supported on and extend over the head of the wearer, and collapsible inflatable means secured to the member to hold. the same in a predetermined rigid shape and clear of the face of the wearer, said last named means including a flexible tube extending about the periphery defining the face opening of said member, and means to inflate the tube.

WILFRED M. MITCHELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date McCarthy et al 8, 1876 Ireland et a1 Mar. 24, 1908 Collins Dec. 21, 1909 Williams Aug. 12, 1924 Graham July 13, 1926 Neulander July 18, 1933 Naundorf Mar. 2, 1937 

